The present invention relates to a drawer device, particularly relates to a drawer device in which an inside case slides relative to a fixed outside case and a holder main member slides between a use position and a non-use position relative to the inside case (hereinafter, called a two-stage drawer structure).
Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2001-199272 has disclosed a drawer device as shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b). The drawer device includes an outside case 50, an inside case 55, a holder main member 60 with a holding hole 61, and a movable member 65 attached to the holder main member 60. The outside case 50 includes an attaching portion 51 and a positioning portion 52, and has openings at the front side and backside thereof. The outside case 50 is mounted in, for example, an attaching depression of an instrument panel of a vehicle in a buried state.
The inside case 55 can slide in order to be switched between a pulled-out position where the inside case projects toward the front side from the outside case, and a stored position where the inside case is stored in the outside case. As shown in FIG. 7(a), an elastic engaging member 56 is provided between the inside case and the outside case for regulating the sliding at the pulled-out position and the stored position and for absorbing jolts during the sliding.
The holder main member 60 includes a piece 62 at a backside thereof and an operating portion 63 at a front face thereof. The holder main member 60 can slide in order to be switched between a use position where the holder main member is pulled out to the front side from the inside case, and a non-use position where the holder main member is stored in the inside case. A depression and a protrusion are provided between the holder main member and the inside case for regulating the holder main member at the front most position.
The movable member 65 is attached to the piece through an arm, and rotates obliquely downwardly in order to receive a bottom of the container when the holder main member is pulled out of the inside case. When the holder main member is pushed into the inside of the case, the movable member is stored inside the holder main member.
The two-stage drawer structure described above may be simplified as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication (Kokai) No. 2-115736. In the drawer device, the holder main member 60 projects further according to a sliding amount of the inside case relative to the outside case. An outer dimension of the device from front to back is reduced, so that it is possible to use the device for an automobile having a small depth of an instrument panel 70.
In the two-stage drawer structure described above, a guide device (elastic engaging member 56 described above) such as a groove and a protrusion is provided between the inside case and the outside case, and between the holder main member and the inside case. Accordingly, the inside case slides relative to the outside case smoothly, and the holder main member slides relative to the inside case smoothly. In the conventional structure, when the inside case and the holder main member are pulled out to the front side or pushed in, the operating portion of the holder main member at the front face is pulled out and pushed in. However, the following problems may occur because there is no device for controlling the pulling-out motion.
First, when the holder main member slides to the use position, the holder main member easily moves slightly forward against a frictional force between the holder main member and the inside case before the inside case reaches the complete pulled-out position (the front most position in design). Therefore, a user mistakenly thinks that the device is in the use condition and stops pulling the holder main member before the inside case reaches the pulled-out position. In this state, the container may not be correctly maintained or may be easily jolted.
In an installed state where an upper part 70a of the instrument panel 70 projects inside of a car compartment as shown in FIG. 7(b), the container easily hits the upper part of the instrument panel. When the holder main member slides to the non-use position, if the inside case is pushed slightly toward the backside before the holder main member reaches the non-use position (the backmost position in design), there is a problem in which the movable member 65 projecting outside from the front opening of the inside case 55 interferes with other members.
In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a drawer device in which an inside case and a holder main member are reliably controlled upon pulling-out and pushing-in, so that the advantages of the two-stage drawer structure is stably maintained regardless of the operation of the user or the installed state.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.